Back in the old days there was just one browser, and everyone was happy. Okay, maybe not happy, but it was certainly easier to choose a browser when the only option was Netscape.

Now, it’s much more complicated because the big browsers are updated every fourteen minutes and boast more options than the world’s most complicated Swiss Army Knife.

So which browser is best for you?  Should Cumming Mac owners stick with Safari or go Google? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to put the big browsers head-to-head and see where they shine or struggle.

Best browser for speed

Browsers generally don’t feel sluggish any more, but there are still crucial differences in the way they perform actions, especially when it comes to web apps. The venerable Sunspider is a good benchmark for how well a browser should perform under pressure: the lower the score the faster the browser. At the risk of sounding like an Upworthy headline,  Cumming Pro Computer tested all the major browsers in Sunspider. Their scores may surprise you.

1. Safari 197.9ms
2. Opera 174.4ms
3. Chrome165.2ms
4. Firefox 157.9ms
5. Internet Explorer (desktop)94.7ms
6. Internet Explorer (modern)93.1ms

As you can see, Internet Explorer (both the desktop and modern incarnations) isn’t just ahead, but ahead by a significant amount.

Best for add-ons

Firefox has long been the king of this category, with its combination of add-ons, Pin Tabs for web apps, and Greasemonkey scripts make it the power user’s ally.

Chrome isn’t far behind, however, and its reach now extends to your desktop in the form of Chrome Desktop Apps and Google Now notifications, which began rolling out to Chrome users in late March.

Opera has changed its rendering engine and now uses the same technology as Chrome, which means Chromium extensions can work on the Opera browser. Opera’s extension gallery is much smaller than Google’s, but it’s early days and big hitters such as Evernote, Pocket and AdBlock Plus are present. It’s also considerably more visually pleasing than its rivals, with more appealing aesthetics.

Internet Explorer isn’t in last place here: that honor goes to Safari, whose extensions gallery is pitiful.

Best browser for Windows 8

As we’ve already seen, in terms of sheer speed Internet Explorer easily overtakes the other browsers. Now that Firefox has dumped its touch-based Modern browser for Windows 8, IE is essentially the only sensible choice for Windows tablets and touch screens.

However, the best desktop browser is not as easy to find. IE has the speed but there isn’t that much in it: both Firefox and Chrome are more expandable and have better synchronization options. There’s essentially nothing to choose between the two IE rivals in terms of speed, so the choice really comes down to which one has the add-ons and synchronization options you need.

Safari can’t cut it in this company: the most recent version, 5.1.7, was released in 2012 and it felt sloppy. There’s absolutely no reason to consider it now as even Apple’s own iCloud Control Panel eschews it in favor of Firefox and Chrome.

Best browser for Windows 7

It’s the same story here as it was for Windows 8. Internet Explorer wins on speed; Chrome and Firefox have the edge on expandability, Opera’s nicer to look at and Safari’s up on bricks with the wheels removed.

Best browser for OS X

Safari on OS X hasn’t suffered the same neglect as its ill-fated Windows sibling. On OS X, we’re currently on version 7.0.2, which offers iCloud bookmark syncing, shared links from your social media accounts, and power optimization that promise to get more life from your laptop.

That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best choice for Mac users. On Sunspider, our copy repeatedly took ten minutes to run (benchmarks normally execute in a matter of seconds) and returned a page full of errors. Here’s how the other browsers stacked up:

1. Chrome 191.8ms
2. Opera 190.4ms
3. Firefox 185.6ms

There are other reasons to consider alternatives to Safari. Cumming Pro Computer found that it often chokes when we have lots of tabs open or when we’re browsing image-heavy sites such as Tumblr, and it’s no stranger to the frustrated Force-Quit when it makes the entire system unresponsive. In this company Cumming Pro Computer think Chrome has a narrow lead, although if  Opera has the extensions you need, the redesigned Opera is very nice on OS X too.

Best for privacy

All the major browsers have private browsing modes to prevent others from seeing what you’ve been surfing or shopping for. But if you’re really serious about privacy you’ll need to turn to the world of add-ons and extensions such as HTTPS Everywhere, Disconnect or AdBlock Plus.

Firefox and Chrome have the edge here, possibly because the kinds of people who take security and privacy seriously are the kind of people who want more than just a basic browser. Opera’s new Chromium-based extensions include our three examples too. IE isn’t entirely extension-free, but its rivals do have a wider selection of tools to cover your tracks.